His forehead wrinkled and he looked up in thought as he tried to explain, "She said that if my stomach was sick, the feeling might make him just as ill. They can block pain from someone with a broken arm to avoid having the pain overload their minds, but I guess seasickness is trickier to deflect."
"Hmm," Annalicia replied with a nod as she considered his explanation.
They sat for a moment looking uncertain what to say. Making casual conversation was harder when they didn't know a lot about one another, Anna thought.
Turning her right hand palm upward, the girl considered the conversation with Gerid shortly after the battle to drive away the Dark One's warlocks. Would a healing wizard sense a difference in someone that could tell them that someone else was an immortal? She had been trying to put the thought out of her mind, but somehow it continued to slip in to taunt her.
"Is something wrong?" Liam asked with concern. "If you want to leave, I am sure that I will be alright... Well, at least I shouldn't be any worse than I have been since we set sail again," the man finished with a laugh.
"Have you ever wondered what makes an immortal like Gerid different from the rest of us?"
He sat back bumping his bed on the bunk above him. The rack supporting the cushion was wood and Annalicia winced at the sound of his head striking the board.
As Liam rubbed the back of his head messing up his blonde hair, the man said, "Well, that is not what I expected to be bugging you, that is for sure. I can't say that it is a question I ever considered, though I suppose every kid wonders if they could be so lucky.
"I mean, most of us know the legends of the Grimnal and Darius too. If you have magic, you wonder if there is a way to live longer like an immortal. It would be one way to try and learn everything about magic. Though I suppose Darius doesn't know everything yet and he is what? Five years old?"
"Closer to seven hundred actually," Annalicia clarified. It was hard even for her to believe the true number of his age, though the elves were said to live hundreds of years as well. Her father was older than the king, though he hardly looked older than a man in his mid twenties.
Liam let out a low whistle. He took a moment and gave her question real thought, before answering, "Well, they don't really look that different. Darius, at least, doesn't; though I guess you could argue that the Grimnal is large enough to look like a god walking among us. Only someone that big could make you believe in immortals."
Thinking about the giant, Annalicia agreed; but Liam wasn't done considering the point. "If we look at Darius though, he isn't nearly as impressive physically, though he is very powerful as a wizard. His aura is one of the strongest that I have ever seen. That wouldn't make me think that he was any different from another powerful wizard however."
"Gerid said that every immortal he knew could heal quickly. They survive nearly every wound and don't really seem to age," the girl said looking at the palm of her hand again.
"He used to prove to others that he was immortal by being stabbed by a knife through the heart or the palm of his hand. It brought followers to him that even considered him a god."
"You would have to be pretty secure in the fact that you wouldn't die to try something so drastic," Liam considered with a frown. "Just because they can heal fast, doesn't mean that they are otherwise different from the rest of us. I mean they live ridiculously long, but the Grimnal has a wife and children. He has lived like most of us, though he was made king after surviving so many of his children's children after a time."
"Someone who can survive a wound to the heart, can they truly be considered human anymore?"
Liam frowned at the girl with a bit of worry. "Gerid is human," he said using the immortal's real name. "He is just a man who has been blessed, or cursed, with a very long life."
Anna sat quietly a moment longer before her attention moved from her hand to the wizard in front of her. She thought that he looked better now. "Are the pills working?"
Surprised from her switching back to the original topic of their conversation, Liam listened to his body before nodding. "Yes, I think that they are. Maybe Malaiy has come up with a better solution than our wizards have?"
Annalicia stood and shrugged as she gave him a smile. "Well, I am glad that they have helped. You aren't supposed to take them more than twice a day. Let's see how you feel in the morning. I can give you more then.
"Now I should probably offer them to Collin, though he might prefer having Nara dote over him to actually getting better."
Laughing at her joke, Liam agreed, "That is probably true also. Do you think that he's just been faking to get her attention?"
Padding across the floor, her bare feet led her to the door. "Sleep well, Liam, and thank you for the talk."
After the pretty young woman closed the door behind her, the Southwall wizard sighed before lying down to sleep comfortably for the first time since they had left land.
Philip's view from the window extended out over the castle wall and beyond them to the sea. A few buildings were between the two, but the tall wall blocked them from his sight.
"You don't seem like your usual self," King Orlaan stated noticing his Master of Coin looking distracted.
Turning back from the blue sky and teal sea, the lord nodded to his king. "I sent another messenger ship to Southwall. With the trouble we have been hearing about from ships returning from northern Tseult, I've sent three in fact."
"You think that our ships are being targeted?"
"I don't know if the Sea Dragon or Zephyr were attacked, but I sent along a warship with two of my frigates. All three carry a copy of the message just in case."
Orlaan frowned at the mention of a message. "What message did you send?"
"There are letters for Annalicia and Xerese as well as my father. If they remained in Hala for a prolonged time it will let them know that no message returned. It is possible that the Zephyr was sent back and met with a disaster along the way.
"The note for my father asks if he knows anything of this Sordrian, though he has probably returned home by now. The captains all know to check in with the harbormaster there to see when they might have left dock. Even if we find out that they left months ago, it will at least tell me something."
Orlaan's face darkened at the last and he said, "I hope that this bad luck or whatever is hanging over the family hasn't expanded to Annalicia and Xerese. I wouldn't wish for any parent to go through what we have after Persimee's death."
"How is the queen?" Philip asked having heard that her daughter's death and the unborn grandchild as well, had hit the queen quite hard.
Sighing at the thought of answering the question, Orlaan replied after a moment, "Murietta has been trying to be strong for Jeremiah and Deeanne's sakes, but losing Persimee hit us hard. She shuts herself off in her room at times to avoid letting them see her crying."
"Serafene went to try and help with Etrine, but if something were to happen to Annalicia... I am not sure what would happen to her. It is a lot of grief to take on in such a short time."
"And we have no one in the dungeon paying for the deaths either. Have you discovered anything new, Philip?"
He shook his head and replied, "I had hoped maybe Lord Denefar's men had brought something back or even Commander Ilius."
Grunting at the mention of the second man's name, the king shook his head saying, "Denefar hasn't come up with anything more than you have. You both suspect the attack came from someone among the brotherhood, but can't prove it.
"As to Ilius, the man might be an excellent commander, but he is unlikely to hear anything necessary to finally find the culprit at fault. His soldiers would be too blunt of an instrument to discover anything without causing more trouble than we can afford."
The conversation died off for a moment letting Philip look out at the sea once more wondering what had happened to Annalicia and his ships. While the second were important, they only mattered to him because the Sea Dragon and Zephyr were suppose to be the lifeline
s keeping his daughter safe.
Xerese was with Anna, so the two girls would be safe or in danger together, he supposed.
"How is Alexander doing?" the king finally asked breaking the silence.
"He writes regularly. Patris seems quiet enough. Alexander has tried to keep communications up between Patris and Solan also. Marq Itan says that there has been an unusual amount of travelers coming across the border by land.
"If we had heard anything of a war there, he would call them refugees. The people are saying that many of the cities and towns have started to turn against their governors and mayors. If it is to be believed, the citizens have chosen to kick out King Tylus' government and chosen to turn the cities over to the brothers. A few temples and other buildings have been burned by Tseulty soldiers, if the news is accurate."
"I have yet to hear from King Tylus," Orlaan commented on his peer from the neighboring country. "With shipping lanes seeing ships with red flags, some of which have attacked the merchants along Tseult's coastline, and the rumors of cities turning over to the brotherhood; I am surprised that we haven't at least heard something from Tristan," he said referencing Tseult's capitol city.
"It is a long way from Tristan to the northern cities, even if he sent marines by ship to try and quell an uprising. Of course, news of the trouble has to reach him there first to begin to react."
"Malaiy's old kings might have been doing Tylus a favor if we had gone to war and taken his northern cities away. It's the price he pays for trying to hold so much territory, I guess."
"That is one way to look at it," Philip nodded.
"So you've sent your ships and even if they turn around immediately with news, we will wait for nearly two months. If we're in luck, the girls will suddenly show up in the meantime."
"That is about the size of it," he acknowledged the king.
After another lingering silence, Orlaan said, "Speaking of Commander Ilius, he has reported an unusual amount of deserters of late. No one seems to know where they have gone, but some have guessed that they have turned to the Brothers of the Blood."
"Could they be building an army out of your soldiers?"
Frowning at the thought, the king mused, "If they can draw the hearts of men we thought loyal to the throne, they can weaken us and grow in strength at the same time. I will have Denefar and Ilius look into the matter more, but the army always loses a few men to desertion.
"Those who join of free will are safe enough, but we still need to draft young men to maintain the strength of our army and navy. Not everyone is a patriot and I could see some of those might leave. If they bore a grudge, those might join the brothers if they believed that they were doing more good for the country than their king," Orlaan finished with a frown.
"If they can sway enough hearts, we could be looking at a civil war or rebellion at least," Philip stated worriedly.
Orlaan started to darken with anger. "These brothers have sown a lot of hate so far. If they think that they can take my country away from me, they will need to be snuffed out like a candle flame quickly."
Philip frowned and mused aloud, "We need to be careful how we deal with them. They do a lot of good for a lot of people. If you appear too heavy handed with them, your strict dealing with them could look like persecution. The people might turn against you as well. That might even be what is happening in northern Tseult."
Looking frustrated with the whole thing, the king complained, "This brotherhood is turning out to be more of a nuisance than anyone could have foreseen. Help me think of a subtler way to deal with them then, Philip. Malaiy doesn't need to turn against itself now. We are as strong as ever and rich also. There are fewer poor, even if the brothers seem to look for those kinds of people.
"I thought that I governed well enough. Why would the people think that I didn't care and try hard to take care of them all?"
Shrugging, Philip replied, "For those who don't have a lot, they look at those with much and demand to have more. Whether it is right or wrong, that is how many people look at it. You can govern well in most people's eyes, but there will always be those who never feel like they were taken care of enough."
Tiring of such talk, Orlaan soon dismissed his Master of Coin. Philip returned to his empty home and wondered if he would see his daughter again. Too many of the royal children had already died. No father wanted to outlive his children, and Philip wondered how Darius could live so long watching those that he loved die, while his immortality continued.
Chapter 26- The Road to Daria
Xerese couldn't decide if she was getting better at negotiating prices or if the need for swords made for a stronger market; but in the end she was able to get five gold coins for a single sword. Doubling their remaining money, the girl would have felt better about the achievement if the city of Marta hadn't seemed to have gone insane.
More of the soldiers dressed in black with their red sashes roamed the city. While there seemed to be less violence than in Adeer, Marta was definitely no longer acknowledging their king's rule. She had heard that dozens of soldiers from the local militia had joined the black army, though many had been put into the local jail when they refused also.
They didn't dare ask too closely about the changes. Xerese wondered if the governor of Marta had suffered a similar fate as that of the man in Delem.
Returning to the docks, the lady of Malaiy found that no matter how charming she could be there were still obstacles that she couldn't get past. They canvassed the ships docked in the harbor looking for a ride west, but those that didn't have a red flag appeared to be stuck in Marta for now. Even the Taramist discovered that they must wait for clearance from the local government before they could be allowed to leave again.
The trap they had feared entering the harbor had snapped shut. Captain Nywal and his crew looked frustrated. Many had left the ship to drown their sorrows in the local taverns because of it.
"You may want to keep your husband out of sight," the captain warned as they waited on deck. "I've had those men in black come by to try and get my men to join the local army. They've pulled men from the other ships already too, and they don't seem to care if you are really willing to join them or not."
"They're conscripting men?" Xerese questioned worriedly. Not only did she not wish for Toman to be forced to join this questionable militia, the girl also had to wonder what would happen to her if she lost him.
It was a selfish thought, but her dependence on Toman was complete. The man didn't really need her. Sure she could negotiate better with men, since her attributes and personality were more likely to sway a man; but the guard didn't truly need her.
If they ever managed to return home, the girl would make certain that he was rewarded handsomely; though Xerese often wondered if money was the reason Toman had remained with her. There was duty, she supposed; but that could falter in some men. Still, he remained with her like a brother protecting his sister.
Her eyes strayed to the man and added that it was also like a husband protecting his wife.
Cheeks warming with the thought, she took a deep breath before asking, "Do you think that we should just leave? We walked away from Delem and it took a lot longer to make it to Adeer, but if you think we should walk to the next town or even all the way to Malaiy, I will.
"We should try to arrange for food, and maybe some new clothing; but we have a little money to do that now."
Toman considered the idea, but answered, "I could head into town and see if there is a carriage service. It would save some time and be easier on you."
"I'm not letting you go alone," Xerese replied shaking her head. "If you go, I go."
Captain Nywal smiled at the couple and stated, "Well, they are looking for soldiers. Your wife is probably safer than you are if one of those militant squads comes across you."
The dark haired girl nodded and Toman shrugged without disputing her. She was his employer in theory, so if Xerese wanted to come along he couldn't really dispute it. Even if
the girl wasn't in charge, she could just as easily follow him; unless he went to the extreme of tying her up below deck or something.
They asked in a few of the shops in the marketplace while avoiding the soldiers in town. Even among places like these, some eyes were raised at the idea of leaving town; but eventually they found a stable with a few black coaches sitting alongside of the building.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the front room of the carriage service, Xerese noted a room with empty chairs sitting near the small, front windows and a counter with an older man sitting behind it.
"What can I do for you folks?" he asked gruffly. The man looked unhappy and perhaps grouchy as well.
Uncertain whether that was just his way or if things in Marta had caused such an attitude, Xerese did her best to appear cheerful. Her smile and bounce to her step as the girl sauntered up to the counter did seem to soften his look slightly.
"My husband and I were wondering if you had any routes taking you west. We were hoping to book a ride to Malaiy, or as close to that as we can get."
Grunting at the proposal, he replied, "Malaiy would require a lot of gold and I doubt that it is even possible right now with the brotherhood's soldiers running most of the towns in the north now. At least, that is what we have been hearing from others looking to leave Marta."
"There are a lot of people trying to leave?" she questioned feigning surprise, but Xerese could understand why someone would want to leave the militant town.
"Some, but many of those had been servants of the king here. Most of the governor's family were put in prison or hung for serving King Tylus. They were blamed for attacks on the temple and brothers. A few tried to switch sides and joined the temple. Supposedly they went to serve to make up for crimes against Sordrian, but they were pretty much just trying to save their necks.
"People have been pretty rough on those who remain true to Tseult."
"Well, we are just travelers who were stranded when our ship was held at the dock," the girl said avoiding the rest of their story.
The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus Page 37